Photo: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty
Approximately 800,000 federal employeesare going without payduring a partial shutdown of the government that has no resolution in sight — an anxious, unending experience that’s leftworkers scrambling and in tears.
In another characteristic tweet in late December, he wrote, “I am all alone (poor me) in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come back and make a deal on desperately needed Border Security.”
The shutdown began on Dec. 22 over Trump’s signature campaign promise to build a wall along the Mexican border and is the longest such closure in American history.
Trump believes his proposed $5.7-billion wall would fix a “crisis,” resulting in lower crime rates and fewer drugs coming into the U.S. from Mexico.
One way or another, once the shutdown is resolved, Trump will head back down to Mar-a-Lago, says Chris Ruddy, a longtime Trump friend.
Other sources say Trump has missed being able to so easily travel to one of his favorite places.
“It is outside of Washington, D.C., where he knows people, has friends and can easily connect with them,” Ruddy, the CEO of media company Newsmax, tells PEOPLE.
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The president’s close ties to Mar-a-Lago have drawn criticism from ethical watchdogs for the way it mixes his personal and political interests, and his visits there with world leaders have not been without controversy (such as an incident in 2017 where he and the prime minister of Japan discussed a national security issue).
“In a sense, it becomes a brand promotion opportunity,” presidential historian Matt Dallektold theWashington Postin 2017. “It’s like he’s touting his own private enterprise and using the vast reach of the presidency to promote a particular brand and enrich his family.”
Despite the optics, Mar-a-Lago’s enduring appeal is simple for Trump: Long reportedly uncomfortable in D.C., his Florida club feels like home.
“He is relaxed and focused when he is in Palm Beach and loves being there,” Ruddy says.
Though the president skipped his usual holiday plans at Mar-a-Lago since the shutdown began, wifeMelaniaattended theannual New Year’s Eve partyand returned fora low-key visitover the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. Another source who is close to Trump says that he is almost always at the club over President’s Day Weekend in February, though it’s unlikely he’ll travel should the shutdown drag into next month.
Melania also enjoys Mar-a-Lago but has become more withdrawn in her time as first lady, spending most of her time with her parents or Barron, her son with Trump. She also keeps her own suite at the club. She is seen together walking with her husband, though they often dine separately.
Ruddy contends that Trump “gets a great deal of work done” at his club.
“In fact,” Ruddy continues, “if I were a world leader, I would rather meet with him at Mar-a-Lago that most anywhere else.”
source: people.com
